Snipers, shelling, car bombs, suicide attacks. This is Beirut 1983, and Lara McCauley is an outsider in a city at war. Against this chaotic canvas, Lara tries to hold her marriage together, but her life is quietly falling apart. Lara and Mac arrive to take up his new posting, not long after the Marines are sent in as peacekeepers to help restore stability in this fractured land, but the Marines quickly become embroiled in Lebanon's political problems. Her husband, Mac, an American journalist, has his hands full with work and a new circle of comrades in arms at the Commodore Hotel. Lonely and scared, Lara increasingly seeks out the friendship of a Polish journalist, and their desperate affair sets into motion events with unforeseen, fatal consequences.

A crisp, clear, tough voice reminiscent of Joan Didion's journalism. Her portrait of Beirut -- at once vivid and meticulous -- displays a reporter's gift for detail. --The Wall Street Journal

A captivating journey into war-torn Beirut -- Anderson Cooper

Drawing on her years of experience as a foreign correspondent, Margaret Lowrie Robertson brings war-torn Beirut to life in this gripping debut....An exceptional first novel.

For people who want to understand the roots of the anguishing story we're living through today in the Middle East. -- David Ignatius, columnist, The Washington Post

A powerful story... -- Publsihers Weekly

Lara McCauley never wanted to go to Beirut. But in 1983, when her husband's career as a foreign correspondent brings her there in the midst of the civil war, she tries to make the best of it for the sake of her marriage. Unlike the other foreign visitors--most of whom are hard-charging journalists like her husband--Lara can't seem to find her footing in the chaotic city. Although she's relatively insulated from risk, she's as terrified of the frequent eruptions of violence as she is ashamed of her fear. Bored, lonely, and afraid, Lara defies her increasingly bullying husband by befriending a mysterious Polish journalist and beginning to work part-time as a broadcast film editor. But she is an inexperienced player in a dangerous game. As the U.S. Òmission of presenceÓ in Lebanon rapidly morphs into something far more deadly, Lara unwittingly sets in motion a chain of events with devastating consequences.Drawing on her years of experience as a foreign correspondent, Margaret Lowrie Robertson brings war-torn Beirut to life in this gripping debut. -- Library Journal (Starred Review)